Our Favorite Disneyland Tips

No theme park series would be complete without our favorite tips for the world’s most popular amusement park, Disneyland. We compiled a list of popular tips that have been circulating around for a while and decided to put our own spin on them.

So enjoy our Top Disneyland Tips and don’t forget to check out the other posts in our theme park series by clicking here.

Everybody Loves a Button

If you are celebrating a special occasion or a birthday, you can get a celebrating button for free! Its a great way to show off that you are celebrating something special. So if it’s your birthday, first visit, or even one thousandth visit, make sure to get yourself a button.

*Bonus Tip* If you are coming in from the tram, ask for a button at the World of Disney store. They usually have a cast member giving them out near the doors.

Staying Hydrated is Important

Regardless of what time of year you are visiting, walking around Disneyland all day will definitely require you to have some water on hand. While it is a very popular tip to ask for cups of water at counter service restaurants, we suggest bringing your own reusable water bottle and visiting the main Starbucks location in Downtown Disney (the one closest to the theme parks main entrance). They have a water fountain inside that you can use for free. It’s the same filtered water that they use to make their drinks, so it tastes much better than tap water. Plus by bringing your own reusable bottles, you aren’t stuck carrying a bunch of cups.

*Bonus Tips* Even though you can visit Starbucks locations in both theme parks (Disneyland and Disney California Adventure) the Downtown Disney locations are the only ones that you can redeem points from Starbucks Rewards. And the main Starbucks location is one of the few places on theme park property that you can get free WIFI.

Pack Snacks

Disney is great about letting people bring in food without *much* limitation, but they do not allow coolers inside the theme parks. A picnic area is provided outside of the main gates near the tram drop off with lockers large enough to accommodate coolers, but you will have to exit and wait in line to re-enter the theme parks. We suggest packing easy to eat snacks that you can eat while walking around or waiting in lines. We like to eat at least one meal from a counter service location during our day trips, but we bring enough snacks so that we never go hungry while waiting in long lines.

*Bonus Tip* If you bring an insulated bag to keep snacks cold, freeze Capri Suns or juice boxes to use as ice packs so you don’t have to worry about ice leaking all over you throughout the day.

Get Yourself a Corndog

Disneyland corndogs are definitely a fan favorite around the parks, but the line at Little Red Wagon (the corndog cart on Main Street) gets very long. Instead of waiting in line, head over to the Stage Door Saloon or Golden Horseshoe in Frontierland. If you happen to be visiting Disney California Adventure park, visit Corndog Castle on Paradise Pier. These locations usually have shorter lines and serve the same tasty corndogs.

*Bonus Tips* If you are in the mood for something spicier, Corndog Castle serves a hot link corndog that will satisfy your taste buds.

Get a map and a schedule at the front turnstiles.

The Disneyland App is awesome and has tons of info (like map, schedule, and wait times) but we suggest saving your batteries for pictures and videos. Plus, Disneyland doesn’t offer wifi to guests quite yet, so the app isn’t going to be an option for everyone. So take advantage of having a paper map and schedule with you, especially if you need some entertainment while waiting in lines. They also make great souvenirs!

*Bonus Tip* If you arrive the day before you are entering the parks, you can get to the front gates and ask for maps and schedules (schedules are good for an entire week) so that you can plan out what you want to do the following day.

Character dining is great, but it may not be the best for your child.

This may go against everything that you have read about dining at the theme parks, but many children do not respond well to characters the first time they encounter them. So instead of paying for a very expensive meal that you may not even be able to enjoy, see how your child interacts with the characters inside the parks and then decide if character dining is right for them. If you would like to make a dining reservation you can call (714)781-DINE, click here to book online, or through the Disneyland mobile App.

*Bonus Tip* Disneyland offers special dining packages throughout the year. These specialty dining packages will include preferred viewing for fireworks, parades, or shows. These packages can be a great alternative to character dining and are usually comparable in price.

Hopefully these tips help you have the most exciting visit to Disneyland! And remember my lovelies, anyone can travel.

Any tips we missed that you would like to share? Have a suggestion for a future post? Leave us a comment!

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One thought on “Our Favorite Disneyland Tips”

We always buy gallons of water and refill our water bottles and pack our own food too! My kids each request their own maps everytime haha! We usually start at Disney and pop over to CA Adventure in the afternoon to buy a beer while we wait in line for midway mania 😉